FreshBooks + OpenNode: Bitcoin invoicing for freelancers | payinbtc.me

FreshBooks has been used by more than 30 million small businesses across 160 countries, most of them service businesses that bill by project or by hour. Its invoicing is built around that work: retainers, estimates, time tracking, and three ways to collect online, being FreshBooks Payments powered by Stripe, Stripe Standard, and PayPal. All three move card and bank money. None of them move Bitcoin, and a client who asks to pay that way puts you outside the tool, copying a wallet address into an email and checking the rate yourself.

The gap shows up most on cross-border work, which is ordinary for FreshBooks users. FreshBooks Payments is offered to businesses in the United States and Canada, and its ACH bank transfer option only covers US clients, so a consultant in Lisbon billing a studio in Toronto is already paying card rates and an FX spread on a payment that takes days to arrive.

PayInBTC.me connects FreshBooks to OpenNode so a Bitcoin option sits on the invoices you choose. The customer clicks the link, PayInBTC.me reads the invoice total from FreshBooks and calculates the Bitcoin amount at the live rate, and OpenNode handles the checkout over the Lightning Network or on-chain. The payment lands in your OpenNode account, which you can hold in Bitcoin, withdraw to your own wallet, or convert to your local currency. Your FreshBooks workflow does not change.

Why FreshBooks and OpenNode work well for independent professionals

A hosted gateway, so the Bitcoin side is not your job

FreshBooks users are designers, consultants, contractors, and small agencies, not payments engineers. OpenNode runs the whole receiving side as a hosted service: it presents the checkout, watches for the payment on Lightning or on-chain, and confirms settlement. There is no node to run and no wallet infrastructure to keep online. PayInBTC.me sits between FreshBooks and that checkout, passing the invoice amount across, which means the only new thing on your desk is a link on the invoice.

Getting paid in Bitcoin without having to hold Bitcoin

OpenNode can convert incoming Bitcoin to a local currency automatically at the moment of payment, with the rate locked at that point, and supports settlement currencies including USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, BRL, MXN, and HKD. That matters for a freelancer whose costs are in one currency and whose clients are in several. You can take the payment in Bitcoin and keep it, or have it arrive as dollars or euros and never think about the price. OpenNode states that it does not charge a separate conversion fee, though its processing fee still applies.

Built for registered businesses, available globally

OpenNode accounts are for registered businesses, and onboarding includes business verification: proof of incorporation, proof of ownership, and proof of business address, plus personal identification for anyone holding more than 25 percent. An incorporated agency or a consultant with a limited company will recognise this as normal payment-provider paperwork. A sole trader with no registered entity is better served by a provider with a lighter start, which is why FreshBooks also connects to thirteen others.

Read-only in FreshBooks, funds you control

PayInBTC.me reads invoice data from FreshBooks and never writes to it. It pulls the invoice number, amount, and currency to build the payment, and nothing in your books, templates, or client records is altered. The money never passes through PayInBTC.me either: the customer pays OpenNode's checkout, the balance sits in your own OpenNode account, and you withdraw it to a wallet or bank account you control.

How the integration works

Setup takes about five minutes and needs no crypto knowledge. After that, the flow runs the same way on every invoice you switch it on for.

Connect FreshBooks and OpenNode

Sign in to PayInBTC.me and link your FreshBooks account and your OpenNode account. The FreshBooks connection is read-only, so PayInBTC.me can see invoice details but cannot change anything in your books.

Add the Bitcoin link to an invoice

A 'Pay with Bitcoin' link is placed on the FreshBooks invoices you choose. Your invoice template, numbering, and existing payment options stay exactly as they are, so clients who prefer a card still use one.

Your client chooses to pay in Bitcoin

When they click the link, PayInBTC.me fetches the invoice total from FreshBooks, calculates the Bitcoin amount at the live rate, and sends them to OpenNode's hosted checkout with a QR code and a payment request.

OpenNode settles the payment

The client pays over the Lightning Network, which clears in seconds, or on-chain for larger amounts. The payment arrives in your OpenNode account, where you can leave it in Bitcoin, withdraw it to your own wallet, or have it converted to your settlement currency.

You get a confirmation and mark the invoice paid

PayInBTC.me emails you when the payment clears, and the transaction also appears in your OpenNode dashboard. You then mark the invoice as paid in FreshBooks yourself, since the connection is read-only.

What FreshBooks users get from this pairing

A flat fee instead of a percentage

PayInBTC.me charges 1,500 sats per invoice on pay-per-use, or a flat monthly or yearly rate for unlimited invoices. It does not scale with the size of the invoice, which is the opposite of how card processing behaves on a five-figure project.

Payment that ignores borders

A Lightning payment from a client in another country clears in seconds, at any hour, without correspondent banks or an FX spread on the way. For service businesses billing abroad, that removes the slowest part of getting paid.

Bitcoin or your own currency

OpenNode lets you keep the Bitcoin or convert it automatically at the time of payment into a supported local currency. The decision is yours per account, not something your client has to know about.

No chargebacks on completed work

Bitcoin payments settle and stay settled. For a freelancer or agency that has already delivered a project, removing the possibility of a card dispute months later removes a real category of risk.

Your FreshBooks setup is untouched

The integration adds a payment link and reads invoice data. Your templates, retainers, expense tracking, and reports work exactly as before, and clients who never choose Bitcoin see no difference.

A record on both sides

Every payment appears in your OpenNode dashboard alongside the confirmation email from PayInBTC.me, and the invoice it belongs to stays in FreshBooks. That pairing gives your accountant something to reconcile against at year end.

What it costs on a typical invoice

Take a $3,000 project invoice, a normal size for a FreshBooks user billing a month of consulting or a small build. Here is roughly what each payment route costs you.

Method	Cost on a $3,000 invoice	Notes
Credit card via FreshBooks Payments	About $87	2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction on standard plans
ACH bank transfer	About $30	1% fee, US clients only, and slower to clear
Bitcoin via PayInBTC.me and OpenNode	About $31	1,500 sats flat to PayInBTC.me, roughly $1.50, plus OpenNode's typical 1% processing fee

Against a card payment, the Bitcoin route on this invoice saves around $56. Against ACH the cost is close to even, and the argument changes: ACH only works for US clients and takes days, while a Lightning payment clears in seconds from a client anywhere. OpenNode offers volume pricing on request, so the third row can move if you process regularly.

Who this fits

Consultants and freelancers with overseas clients

Independent professionals billing across borders, where card fees, FX spread, and multi-day clearing all land on the same invoice. A Bitcoin option settles in seconds regardless of where the client banks.

Small agencies and studios sending project invoices

Design, development, and marketing shops invoicing four and five figures per project, where a percentage-based fee is the largest line item in the payment and a flat sats fee is not.

Technical service businesses whose clients already hold Bitcoin

Developers, security consultants, and firms working with Bitcoin or fintech companies, where at least some clients would rather pay in Bitcoin than move money through a card network.

Incorporated businesses that want a hosted, verified provider

Companies that prefer a payment provider with formal business verification and a dashboard, rather than a self-hosted setup. OpenNode's onboarding suits a registered entity that already handles this kind of paperwork.

Getting started

You need a FreshBooks account and an OpenNode account. PayInBTC.me connects the two.

Create your OpenNode account, complete the business verification, and choose whether payments settle in Bitcoin or your local currency.
Register at payinbtc.me and link both your FreshBooks and OpenNode accounts. The FreshBooks side is read-only.
Switch on the Bitcoin payment link for the invoices you want it on, then send a small one to yourself or a friendly client as a test.

The first month is free, so you can put a few real invoices through the setup before deciding whether it stays. Full setup instructions are at docs.payinbtc.me.

Get started free →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this change how I create invoices in FreshBooks?

No. You invoice in FreshBooks exactly as you do now. PayInBTC.me adds a 'Pay with Bitcoin' link to the invoices you choose and reads the invoice details to build the payment. Your templates, numbering, retainers, and reports stay as they are, and your existing card and PayPal options remain in place.

Does the payment only work over the Lightning Network?

No. OpenNode supports both Lightning and on-chain Bitcoin payments. Lightning clears in seconds and suits most invoices, while on-chain is the usual choice for larger amounts. Your client picks at the checkout, and you receive the payment either way.

Where does the Bitcoin end up?

In your own OpenNode account. PayInBTC.me never touches the funds: it reads your FreshBooks invoice data and hands the payment off to OpenNode's checkout. From your OpenNode balance you can withdraw to a Bitcoin wallet you control, over Lightning or on-chain, or convert to a supported local currency and withdraw to your bank.

Do I need to understand Bitcoin to use this?

No. Setup takes about five minutes and the payment flow runs on its own. Your client handles the Bitcoin side when they pay. If you would rather not hold Bitcoin at all, OpenNode's automatic conversion means the balance arrives in your settlement currency.

Will FreshBooks mark the invoice as paid automatically?

Not yet. PayInBTC.me has read-only access to FreshBooks and does not write back to it, so you mark the invoice as paid yourself after the confirmation email arrives. Automatic reconciliation is on the roadmap, not something available today.

What does it cost per invoice?

PayInBTC.me charges a flat 1,500 sats per invoice on pay-per-use, or 2,500 sats per month for unlimited invoices, or 25,000 sats per year. The first month is free, with three free invoices on pay-per-use. OpenNode charges its own processing fee on the payment, typically around 1%.

Do I need a registered business to use OpenNode?

Yes. OpenNode is available to registered businesses and asks for proof of incorporation, proof of ownership, and proof of business address during onboarding, plus personal identification for anyone with more than 25 percent ownership. If you invoice from FreshBooks as an unregistered sole trader, look at the other providers on the FreshBooks integrations page instead.

Can I use this if my clients are outside the United States?

Yes, and that is often the reason to. FreshBooks card and ACH options are limited by country, while a Bitcoin payment works the same for a client in any market. PayInBTC.me places no geographic restriction on the connection itself. Check OpenNode's own terms for the countries it can onboard businesses from and settle to.

More questions? See our full FAQ →

Accept Bitcoin on FreshBooks Invoices with OpenNode